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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Milne

Premier League offer clubs 'home comforts' if games forced to be played at neutral venues

Premier League clubs are set to be allowed to play their normal walkout music and use their regular stadium announcers if they are forced to play home matches at neutral venues when football resumes.

Following the announcement that the season will get back underway on June 17, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts said that up to six matches may have to be moved at the request of local police forces, with the likes of Manchester City v Liverpool and Manchester United v Sheffield United among those being considered.

It also appears likely that the game in which Liverpool could secure the title will be played away from Anfield, with worries fans could congregate outside the stadium and thus break social distancing measures.

Anfield may be empty when Liverpool inevitably claim the title (Getty Images)

But according to the Daily Mail clubs will be permitted to do everything in their power to make any neutral venue feel like a home game, with walkout music, music after goals and announcers just three of the factors that they would be able to choose.

It remains to be seen how the lack of supporters in stadiums will affect the results of those playing at home.

On average, Premier League teams typically win around 46.2% of their home games, compared to just 26.3% away, but during the return of Germany's Bundesliga only five of the 27 matches played so far have finished in a home win, compared to 12 away victories.

The Premier League are also still deciding how to deal with the rafts of empty seats, with suggestions that they may lay branding wraps across seats in the lower tiers or use cardboard cutout supporters, something that German side Borussia Monchengladbach have done.

The first two Premier League games back will see Manchester City host Arsenal and Aston Villa take on Sheffield United in two big games in the race for Europe and the battle to stay up.

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